Heiress to the Monado
by Cormag Ravenstaff
Summary: The story is the same, but the players have new roles. Though that doesn't quite make for the same plot, does it? Without the future to guide them, how will it all unfold? What-If AU, in which Fiora has the Monado.
1. Battle of Colony 9

**You might think this will be a simple position swap with the same story.**

 **You would be wrong.**

* * *

 **Heiress to the Monado  
Event One: Battle of Colony 9**

The wind flicked a strand of hair into Fiora's vision. Blinking, she tucked it back behind her ear.

"This place gets me every time," Shulk said beside her. He leaned against the wooden fence surrounding Outlook Park similarly to her. "I like being able to see our entire home at once."

"And the breeze feels so good," Fiora replied, closing her eyes. She didn't see it, but Shulk nodded and smiled at her.

"Reyn asked me earlier to help him with something," Shulk said reluctantly. "Something about collecting ether cylinders from the Mag Mell Ruins."

Fiora's expression fell for a quick moment, but she covered it up only a second after.

That didn't stop Shulk from seeing it. He had been studying her closely, like he always did in that oblivious way. He noticed her feelings, but never her feelings, if that made any sense. Fiora would say something about it, except that she felt flattered that he paid so much attention to her.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came along," Shulk grinned.

"Absolutely!" Fiora exclaimed without thinking.

Shulk laughed, "He'll be in the Military District. Should we go now…?"

"Race you," Fiora challenged.

"What? Wait!" Shulk shouted as Fiora ran off ahead of him.

* * *

Fiora beat Shulk to the Military District. It wasn't much of a contest, given that Shulk wasn't exactly the most athletic of individuals.

"You see him anywhere?" Fiora asked, glancing around the Military District.

Shulk gave no reply, as he leaned on his legs gasping for breath. Fiora turned and frowned at him. "Shulk, we really need to get you out of the lab more often."

"Huff…let's check…the lab for Reyn," Shulk suggested, heading off the argument the friends would mostly likely have if they stayed on the subject. Fiora rolled her eyes, but let it go.

The two companions entered the passage and headed down the stairs. The doors to the lab proper were wide open, and gave a clear view of Reyn…

…with his hand on the Monado.

"Reyn, what're you _doing!?"_ Shulk exclaimed, leaping forward.

"Uh…Shulk, I er…huh?" Reny turned around, holding the Monado. Unprompted, the red sword activated.

"Reyn!" Fiora shouted in fear. The sword began to swing _itself_ , dragging Reyn along with it. It cut into one of the large cylinders behind the Monado's resting place. The blade swung in the opposite direction and struck some machine that sprouted from the ground.

Thankfully, the blade seemed to leap from Reyn's grasp, and flipped into the air. Instinctively, Fiora reached out and caught it.

That probably wasn't the best idea.

The blade, still active, sat still in her hand. It did nothing. Fiora squeezed her hand like her brother had done many times, and the blade deactivated.

Shulk offered out a gentle hand for the Monado. Fiora handed it away, unnerved by the lack of response from the Monado. It should have hurt her, or shown some reaction along the lines of Reyn's response.

Gingerly placing it back on its pedestal, Shulk turned angrily at Reyn and shouted, "What was that, Reyn!?"

Sheepishly, Reyn looked down, "I…er, well, I'd never held it before. I just thought maybe it'd work for me?"

Shulk sighed, unable to be mad at his friend, "Just…don't do it again. You could have hurt someone."

"Sorry, Shulk."

"Let's forget about it, alright?" Fiora, ever the peacemaker, interjected. "Reyn, Shulk said something about ether cylinders."

"Uh, right!" he exclaimed. "I was late to drills today with Colonel Squaretache. So now I have to get some new ether cylinders. Seeing as he wasn't doing anything, I invited Shulk along."

"I'm not doing anything either," Fiora commented, leaning forward and giving Reyn a look that said, 'I'm coming too.'

Reyn scratched his head, of course not knowing what she was trying to say, "Your point?"

"I'm coming too!" Fiora half groaned, half shouted at Reyn. Beside them, Shulk burst out laughing.

* * *

"I really don't like caterpillars," Shulk mumbled as they skirted around the _massive_ bug near the entrance to Tephra Cave. It was under his insistence that they avoid the monster rather than fight it.

Reyn, of course, joked Shulk about being afraid of a giant bug. Per usual, Shulk rubbed it off with a shake of his head. Fiora was secretly glad to not have to fight the caterpillar. Killing large bugs with knives was _gross._

Reyn stepped on a stick.

The blood drained from Shulk's face, "Reyn!"

Within moments, the caterpillar began to charge. No longer did it graze quietly, and instead it began to charge like Colonel Vangarre when he saw a recruit fooling around.

"Run!" shouted Fiora, and began to bolt.

As the fastest of the trio, she was way ahead of Reyn, who in turn was way ahead of Shulk. Worried for her friends, she slowed down for them to catch up.

Reyn arrived, slightly winded, but otherwise fine. Shulk, however, was completely out of breath.

"…Never again…Reyn," Shulk muttered.

Reyn chuckled, "Oh, it's not like it got us. And you got some exercise!"

"I don't need…exercise," Shulk complained.

"How else are you supposed to get the ladies without a buff body?" Reyn teased, flexing his muscles.

Fiora laughed along with Reyn, though actually finding nothing wrong with Shulk's figure. "Come on, Shulk. Let's keep going. And no more running, I promise."

Shulk nodded, "I just have one question." He turned to Reyn, displaying a cunning smirk, "If the key to getting a lady's attention is a buff body, why haven't _you_ found one yet?"

"Aw, Shulk, that cuts deep, mate."

* * *

"Here we go," Shulk said, removing one of the cylinders from the wall. Reyn took it from him and placed it within one of the carrying cases Fiora had brought.

"Thanks, Shulk. I owe you one," he grinned, shouldering the three cylinders.

Fiora coughed, "Excuse you?"

"Oh! And Fiora, too!"

"Honestly, sometimes it's like I'm not even there," Fiora complained, but laughter glowed in her eyes.

 _Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrr!_

"What was that?" Reyn immediately asked, his legs bending into his defense force stance. Without a moment's thought, he took his scrap driver off his back and flipped it open completely.

"I'm not sure," Shulk warily frowned, removing the junk sword from his back.

Two white machines descended from a now open section of the ceiling. They consisted of two curved 'arms' that floated around the body. At the circular top, the machines had a glowing green eye.

"Are these…Mechon?" Fiora asked, tentatively as the two machines began to scout them out.

"No, they're something else," Shulk said. The machines jolted forward, attacking.

Reyn leapt forward and bashed the closer of the two machines in its green eye with his scrap driver. Whatever material it was made of cracked, and the machine fell down, making whirring sounds as its power died.

"What a bunch of jokers!" Reyn laughed as he advanced on the second. Shulk and Fiora backed him up, though not having the advantage of a scrap driver once the machine started shooting lasers.

"Reyn, hit it with all you've got while I distract it!" Shulk called out and ran around the other side of their enemy while hitting it with his blade.

Changing its focus, the machine twisted around and shot more lasers at Shulk. Reyn brought his driver back and rammed it through the back of it, breaking through all the way to the front.

"Nice one, Reyn!" Fiora cheered, wishing knives had better effects on metal creatures. Match her up against a bunnit, and she'd show it who was boss. But machines were better suited to be opponents against heavier weapons.

Shulk frowned at the two machines, "It's odd. No one in the defense force has ever encountered these before."

"Maybe we triggered them?" Fiora posed.

"It's possible," Shulk said. "But why us…?"

"Uh, guys, you better come look at this," Reyn said, having moved to the mouth of the cylinder hanger. His hand was shaking as he pointed to the sky.

Mechon.

* * *

Fiora ran the fastest up the bridge to Colony 9. Her mind was on her brother, and worry fueled her steps.

"You two wait here, I'm going to go find Dunban!" shouted Fiora, not waiting for a response.

Dashing into her house, Fiora bounded up the stairs to the second floor. Dunban's bed was unoccupied, the sheets pushed off to the side as if left in a hurry.

She despaired, but had a feeling as to where her brother had gone. "Dunban, I can't believe you," she muttered, leaping down the stairs two at a time.

He'd gone for the Monado.

Fiora rejoined her two friends, and told them of what she found, or rather hadn't found.

"We make for the Military District," Reyn said. "Dunban's probably already there."

"We'll find him," Shulk rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry."

The trio ran through the Commercial District, evading every Mechon they saw. None of them had the capabilities to even dent a Mechon, and they'd would have needed more people if they'd wanted to overpower it.

It wasn't long before the three arrived at the Central Plaza. The Military District wasn't far, but the Mechon had other ideas.

"Damn!" Reyn shouted, knocking one of the smaller flying Mechon aside. "We're trapped!"

"One of us could go to the Residential District and get the artillery machine," Shulk suggested. "The other two would have to delay the Mechon, though."

Shulk's idea was blown to bits when a ball of energy collided with the pillar above Central Plaza, causing it to come crashing down, smashing the path to the Residential District to pieces.

"Not good, guys!" Shulk exclaimed as he knocked away a crawling Mechon.

"Hyah!" came a familiar outcry. "Blossom Dance!"

A glowing blade pierced through a large Mechon that had blocked the way the three had come, severing it in two.

"Sorry I'm late," grinned the black haired man.

"Dunban!" the three shouted.

Fiora's older brother spun on the spot, the Monado's blade glowing violet. An aura surrounded Fiora, Shulk and Reyn, staying with them.

"Let's fight! There's a large group of Mechon coming over the main bridge, and the defense force is engaged elsewhere!" Dunban encouraged, slicing another Mechon to bits with the Monado.

"Dunban! You shouldn't be—" Fiora tried to scold her brother.

"Worry not, Fiora. I feel better than I have in a long time," Dunban reassured her.

And then they engaged the enemy.

* * *

Everything was going well until the bridge. They'd cleared out the Mechon that had been attacking the inner parts of the Colony. And then they'd arrived at the bridge.

Almost immediately once in sight of the wave of Mechon, Dunban collapsed. His body was racked with blue volts of electricity, coming from the Monado.

"NO!" screamed Fiora, rushing to her brother's side. The Monado dropped from his grip and slid forward several feet.

"Dunban! Your body can't take any more of the Monado!" Reyn shouted, crouching down by the older man.

"But…I must!" Dunban protested, coughing harshly. A wad of blood expelled from his lungs, painting the ground red.

"Don't be daft! Here, Shulk, help me get him up," Reyn said, and with Shulk's help the two got their friend up.

Fiora's eyes dropped onto the Monado. Her brother was safe for the time being, but the wave of Mechon…

If her brother could do it…

The blond haired girl ran forward, scooping up the Monado.

"Fiora, _no!"_ shouted Dunban, immediately guessing her intention.

"Sorry, brother," she whispered. The red sword powered to life in her hands. Sheer power shot through her arms, but it didn't overwhelm her.

She _controlled_ it.

Fiora ran forward, swinging the Monado as if it were a mere feather. The sword cut through the Mechon armor with ease.

Shulk and Reyn ran forward to back her up. Doing as her brother had done before, Fiora spun on the spot in a circle. The energy turned violet, and fell over her two friends like a mantle.

With their weapons now capable of cutting through the tough armor, the three repelled the wave.

* * *

"You're sure you feel alright?" Dunban asked, his worry for his sister knowing no bounds.

"Honestly, I'm fine," Fiora said, resting the Monado on her shoulder. "I never thought I'd be able to use it…"

"Just…be careful," Dunban warned, uneasy. He set his concerns aside though, in favor of a bigger problem. "Let's head for the Residential District. We'll clear out the Mechon there next."

And with that, the quartet made their way via the path to Outlook Park. Slaying the few Mechon that were foolish enough to engage Fiora and Monado, they passed on without much trouble.

It all went downhill once they arrived in the district.

An absolutely massive Mechon with a face landed in front of them. The face unnerved Fiora, like there was something…alive watching behind those red lit eyes.

It took a swipe with its claws at them, but Dunban (Who'd procured one of his swords from his house) blocked it just in time for the party to evade.

With her newfound confidence in the Monado, Fiora ran forward and slashed at the Mechon's leg with the sword.

It had no effect.

"What?" gasped Fiora, the sword ricocheting back.

"How is that possible?" Dunban exclaimed. But in the momentary shock of the situation, Dunban did not see the claws of the Mechon swing down and collide with him.

"DUNBAN!" screamed his sister, watching in horror as her older brother hit the ground many yards away.

Reyn rushed to his side while Shulk held his sword higher and stuck close to Fiora.

"I'll kill you!" Fiora shouted at the Mechon, assuming the worst for her brother. When the claws came down again, she jumped on them and ran up the arm. Reaching the face, she channeled all her fury into one strike and shoved the Monado through the side of the Mechon's face.

Immediately the metal body began to shake, throwing Fiora and the Monado from it. Her head hit the ground as she heard Shulk shout her name.

* * *

"Dunban!" she cried, sitting up in her bed.

"He's okay," Shulk soothed, sitting beside her bed. "He's a little beat up, but he'll be fine. How are you feeling?"

"Jumbled," she admitted. "What happened after I got knocked out?"

"That Mechon flew away," Shulk said. "You've actually been out for a whole day. This morning, Reyn and I were picked to go investigate Colony 6. We haven't heard anything from them, and Colonel Vangarre is worried they might've been attacked as well."

"When are you leaving?" Fiora asked, frowning.

"Later today. I…" he trailed off.

"What?"

"I packed a bag for you too, in case you wanted to come as well," Shulk admitted. "There's safety in numbers, and with you we have the Monado."

"The defense force is just letting you bring the Monado?"

"They…might not know I have it."

Fiora grinned, leaning over a hugging Shulk.

"Then we better leave right away."

* * *

 **Author Notes: Future chapters will be longer and more detailed. Since not much changed in this part of the game, I let it be shorter. As more change occurs, our chapters will be longer.**

 **This story will be ten chapters long. Events, if you will. Each chapter will take a certain event and focus on it. Ergo, this was the battle of Colony 9. Next will be the Monado Shield dealio.**

 **I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. I wanted to see how you guys liked this before figuring out how my pacing should be. Do note, that the story of Xenoblade is still the same. Shulk is still Shulk (Pardon my vagueness, but I don't want to ruin spoilers in the first chapter for those who may not have finished the game). Only we just made the one change that the top part of Central Plaza crashed before Fiora left the party.**

 **We'll see how far that change takes us.**

 **Notify me if you see mistakes in my grammar. I'll fix them!**


	2. Art of the Monado

**Event Two: Art of the Monado**

Fiora never had liked Tephra Cave. It was damp, slimy, and infested with monsters. Fairly typical of a cave, but Fiora was an outdoors type of girl.

And the spiders.

Fiora had kept her secret fear from everyone (Except Dunban). But the eight legged bugs gave her the shivers.

"Hey, are those people laying on the ground?" Reyn asked, pointing at several bodies in their path.

Shulk jogged forward, followed by the other two. "The traders from Colony Six," breathed Shulk. "Not good."

"I wonder what got them…?" Reyn thought aloud.

"Reyn!" Fiora wacked the back of his head.

"We need to return them to the Bionis," Shulk said.

"Oh, right," Reyn chuckled nervously. "I'll get started digging."

"Whew," Reyn exclaimed as he sat down. "That was harder than I thought!"

"Let's rest here," Fiora suggested, setting the Monado down next to her.

"Good idea," Shulk agreed. "I'll take the first watch. You two can get some rest."

With that, Reyn was out for the count. His snores soon filled the cavern, likely scaring off any monsters that would dare try and cross their paths.

"Shulk?" Fiora said, getting the blonde's attention.

"Yeah?" he said, setting his sword on the ground like Fiora.

"Do you think Dunban is going to be alright?" she asked, think back to the violent reaction her brother had had to the Monado.

"Nothing can stop Dunban," grinned Shulk. "I bet he's already up and bossing Dickson around by now."

Fiora smiled, "I can see it now." Shulk wasn't sitting far from her, and she took the opportunity to lean on his shoulder.

Shulk opened his mouth to speak, but noticed his friend was asleep.

"Reyn's going to have something to say about this," Shulk said, not displeased.

Fiora woke with her head hitting the ground.

"Fiora!" shouted Shulk. "Reyn just got taken by monsters, we need to _move!"_

Within an instant, she was alert. Grabbing the Monado, she leapt up, "What happened?"

"Some spider web cam and grabbed Reyn, pulling him up to one of the upper floors," Shulk quickly explained, already beginning to run off to save his friend.

Fiora followed Shulk. The two dashed past every other monster, ignoring them in favor of their mutual goal.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a lake within Tephra Cave. Across the crystal blue waters, the two could see Reyn running from some spiders.

Jumping in the water without remorse, Fiora (Who was the better swimmer) led the way through the cold lake. She briefly waited for Shulk to catch up upon arriving. Glancing about, she saw the vines connecting to the upper level where they had seen Reyn.

"The vines!" she shouted, pointing at them as she ran forward.

Shulk nodded and followed suit. Fiora rigorously climbed the vines, making excellent time. Shulk was crippled by the sheer embarrassment that would result if he looked up towards Fiora.

The worst part was the he could probably get away with it.

Fiora, unaware of Shulk's minor struggle, arrived at the top and sprung up. She extended her arm down to help Shulk up. Together, the duo surged onward.

They found Reyn pinned up by dozens of spiders. A massive arachnid scuttled across the ceiling, every single step echoing throughout the wide cavern.

"Reyn!" they yelled in unison. The spider descended via a silk path, and attacked Reyn.

The Monado began to react, filling the cavern with gold light. Not knowing what to do with the strange happening, Fiora waved it around as she and Shulk raced to their friend's side.

But not quick enough.

The spider's talon gored Reyn through the stomach. And the image was forever imprinted in Fiora's mind.

* * *

 **Author Note: I told you things would be different.**


	3. Haunting Memories

**Event Three: Haunting Memories**

"Let's try it again," Shulk suggested, raising his sword.

Fiora nodded, and activated the Monado. Like she had during their previous practice attempts, she tried to will the blade to activate with the golden light as it had done before.

The whirring of the red sword picked up its pace, and Fiora swung the sword in front of her. The golden light that had clung to the Monado's symbol left the sword, and gathered around her in a sphere.

Shulk slashed his sword at her, taking care that it wouldn't injure her no matter what. It bounced off the shield.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed.

Fiora smiled, but beneath her positivity she knew her lack of ability had cost Reyn his life.

Reyn…

" _Aw, cheer up!"_ he coached from within her mind. _"Can't have a rainbow without Reyn, Fiora!"_

She laughed silently to herself. Always the joker, Reyn's famous catchphrases reverberated throughout her mind.

When she and Shulk set up camp on Gaur Plain, Reyn was all she thought of.

"Fiora, are you alright?" Shulk asked. By no means was he cheerful either, but Fiora hid nothing from her friend.

"I…just miss Reyn," Fiora confessed without shame. She'd grown up with the man like a brother. When Dunban wasn't there, Reyn protected her. Shulk hadn't always been the strongest of people, so Reyn usually took the brunt of the load for the two.

Now that he was gone, Fiora felt lost in the stream that was reality. Fiora had Shulk, which she was immeasurably grateful for, but could the two of them be able to take their revenge?

Fiora was broken from her reverie by Shulk's arms around her. She let herself fall into his embrace, but did not cry. Reyn never liked tears, and hadn't ever seemed to know what to do with Fiora when she cried.

He'd just ask Shulk to take care of it.

"He wouldn't want us to give up," Shulk whispered. "Not only do we press on for the people of Colony Nine, but for Reyn too."

Fiora remained silent, her eyes unfocused. "What do you think he'd say, if he were here?" she finally replied.

"Now it's Fiora time?" Shulk supplied without missing a beat.

"Probably," chuckled Fiora.

* * *

 _Some time later…_

"That's Spiral Valley?" Fiora asked, pointing at the odd stone formation ahead.

"Yeah," Sharla, their new companion, replied. "That has to be the way Juju went. He would have stopped to rest there."

"Then we better get ready for any attacks. We've seen a few Mechon on the way already," Shulk suggested. "We can't tell where others might be hiding."

The trio soldiered on. Shulk had acquired a new weapon at the Refugee Camp, a blade made out of Mechon parts. It was far more suitable than the junk sword, and capable of cutting Mechon armor.

The three walked up the pathway that led to Spiral Valley. A stone bridge connected the grassy meadow to the rock formation itself.

It was on that bridge, when it happened.

Fiora looked around, seeing nothing. No sign of Juju. Could Sharla just have been mistaken? Perhaps Juju simply continued on without stop—

A mechanical arm erupted from the stone ground, bearing the Mechon resemblance. With the speed only lightning could rival, it grabbed Sharla in its claws.

"No!" shouted Fiora, spinning the Monado. Gold light condensed around Sharla, shielding her from the majority of the attack.

She fell to the ground in a bloody mess—but alive. Surrounding Sharla, Fiora and Shulk heald their weapons aloft.

"Stay by me," Fiora urged, standing closer to Shulk than was necessary.

"Always," Shulk replied with a smile. He held his sword out so it protected his body, and Fiora's.

"Let's go," said the wielder of the Monado.

* * *

 **Author Notes: Be prepared for a time skip. Keep in mind this fic will only be ten chapters long, therefore jumps must be made through the story.**


	4. Heiress

**Event 4: Heiress**

"Be careful, Fiora," Dunban cautioned as the young woman left the party.

The brown haired girl rolled her eyes. Careful? She had the Monado. It would protect her, just like it had saved Shulk, Dunban and Sharla time and time again.

Through Makna Forest she hiked, and over the wooden bridge she crossed. Eventually, she made it down to the shore where a water ether crystal deposit rested.

Hopefully it would be sufficient for the girl they found.

Kneeling down next to the blue structure, Fiora broke off a fragment of ether. She stood up, about to tuck it in her pocket, when she noticed him.

A silver haired man stood on the shore, looking out at the Makna Falls.

"Heiress to the Monado," he said, voice carrying over to her. "Not quite what I expected."

"Who are you?" Fiora asked, hand going up to the Monado on her back. The man was a Homs, but she was still wary.

"They approach," he said, ignoring her question. A feral screech resounded through the area. "Three, I think," the Homs estimated.

Sure enough, a trio of shimmering dragon-like creatures soared down from above the great waterfalls.

"To answer your question, you may call me Alvis," he said as the creatures grew closer. "But you should be asking about them," he pointed at the shimmering beasts.

"What are they?" Fiora asked the obvious question.

"Telethia," Alvis supplied.

The Monado was in her hands, already beginning to glow. It extended into the active form, ready to fight.

Alvis took several steps back, and let the Telethia target Fiora. The woman swung the Monado as the beast approached.

But the shimmering creature dodged, and smacked Fiora in her side. Flying off her feet, the young woman screamed. She rolled in the sand, down but not out.

Fiora used the Monado to help herself stand up. One of the Telethia advanced again, jabbing one of its arms forward.

The woman raised the sword to block the attack, but the Telethia changed its mind at the last moment. Fiora was struck backward again, rolling as she hit the ground.

"Telethia are unlike the other creatures on Bionis," Alvis said idly as he stepped up beside her. The Monado had fallen from her hands, and the three Telethia began to advance.

The strange Homs picked up the Monado. "They can read your mind," he said simply.

The red sword glowed green, and Alvis swung it. An aura of energy struck the three Telethia, wounding their receptors at the tops of their heads.

"You have to cut off their sensors if you want to ever hit one," Alvis chuckled. He tossed the sword back to Fiora.

She caught it, and stood back up. Alvis drew a weapon of his own, a claymore, and stood by her side.

"Let's send these three back to the Bionis. I look forward to seeing what you can do, Heiress to the Monado," Alvis smiled.

* * *

 **Author Notes: I'm rather dissatisfied with this chapter, but I couldn't ignore this event. Alvis plays too much of a role in XC to do that.**


End file.
